GUEST PUBLISHER BRETT ANDERSON: THE POWER OF PURPOSE

PURPOSE. IT’S WHAT GIVES LIFE DEFINITION AND DIRECTION – FUELS US TO DO MORE, BE MORE.

At Colorado State University, we talk about purpose a lot. As one of the nation’s finest land-grant institutions, our purpose is clear. We ensure opportunity and access to an outstanding higher education experience for our students. We commit to groundbreaking research that transforms the world. We serve our society in big and small ways. We strive for excellence in all that we do. And we are constantly working to become better in every aspect – more innovation, leading-edge research, new knowledge discovery, state-of-the-art learning and working environments, more success for our students, and more dreams coming true.

You’ll see tremendous examples of the amazing things happening across this University and beyond throughout this issue – from alumni leaving their legacy and making an impact, to our Fostering Success program that provides former foster youth with a sense of home and community, and research and technology that will cure diseases and change lives. It’s happening here — at CSU.

This February, we had the honor of launching Colorado State University’s $1 billion State Your Purpose comprehensive fundraising campaign. It’s a big goal, one that puts us in elite company, and one we wholeheartedly believe in. By accomplishing our goal by 2020, to celebrate CSU’s 150th birthday, we will dramatically increase the number of student scholarships, invest even more in world-class infrastructure, provide critical resources to exceptional programs, and ensure the long-term financial health of our great University.

Thanks to generous donors we have had a remarkable fundraising stretch – at press time, raising a monumental $75 million in the most successful three months of fundraising ever for CSU. These gifts include two anonymous $20 million donations. One, to fund a state-of-the-art regenerative medicine research facility, and the other to the stadium project to name the field and ensure the Rams continue to play on Sonny Lubick Field. Energy entrepreneur and CSU alumnus Michael Smith gave a $13 million gift to create 70 scholarships across three colleges, complete the funding to build a new Michael Smith Natural Resources building for the Warner College of Natural Resources, and support the stadium project through the naming of the Michael and Iris Smith Alumni Center. On our second-ever Day of Giving we received a record 1,974 gifts, raising more than $127,000. Thank you!

The stories throughout this magazine illustrate the many ways our growing culture of philanthropy, built by so many generous and dedicated donors, has elevated us, and continues to propel us forward. In the words of Dr. Tony Frank, our University president, “This isn’t a campaign that quietly questions our thinking about the future. This is a campaign that demands a declaration: State Your Purpose. That theme embodies the character of a university that is committed to excellence, that rolls up its sleeves and redoubles its efforts, and that leaves no one behind as we move forward.”

As a proud supporter and alumnus of CSU, I am so fortunate to be able to work at my alma mater and experience on a daily basis the booming heartbeat of this campus in our dedicated and pioneering students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends. CSU is a huge part of who I am, and I will forever be grateful for the countless, fulfilling opportunities this University afforded me.

I am remarkably proud of all of our accomplishments in research, teaching, and athletics, and there is no questioning that this University – our University – is on the rise. As we continue to forge ahead, our devoted and enthusiastic alumni and friends will continue to be critical partners in shaping our success and achieving new heights. I cannot thank our donors and supporters enough for what each of you do to make CSU the exceptional University that it is.